TBD Spreading Warmth: New York Cares Coat Drive 2022
Donate to the ToBeDetermined New York Cares fundraiser
THE Holidays and being mindful WHEN opening our wallets
The holidays are the time of year when I shed most of my reservations about spending money. Whether it’s finally deciding to try the pair of vintage pants I’ve been eyeing on eBay for months or buying new bibs and relegating old kit to the trainer, November and December are two months where my credit card bill creeps up. The pull of consumerism is high, I get LL Bean catalogs in the mail and I get about a thousand emails from DeFeet reminding me of some minuscule sale on socks.
Like most facets of modern society, spending money must be balanced. Not just in the obvious way of spending only what you can afford, but also in balancing what we spend with what we give to others.
Throughout the year, I try to donate to local causes whenever I am reminded of them. I buy most of my groceries through my neighborhood CSA, Brooklyn Supported Agriculture, and try to add a donation most weeks. Indigenous people and their crafts will no doubt carry us through our current era of crisis. Bail funds and mutual aid are always in need. Contributing to causes in your neighborhood is a great way to feel connected to your community and grounded in the reality in which we all live.
New York winters
New York is an incredible place to live and it’s a miracle that all of it exists. I love how the city transforms and takes on a new character each season. As we enter the holiday period and tourists and shoppers line 5th Ave, it’s easy to forget that the city is also home to so many people that live here because of the opportunities to simply make a living. People live in New York because there are city services and safety nets and public transportation. While many of us revel in going out on the weekends, many New Yorkers can’t afford to buy their kids warm coats.
One of my favorite recurring memes is this Tik Tok about the NYC wind. The Northeast winter and wind tunnels our city creates can be brutal, but are a lot easier to deal with with a solid winter coat. While sweating while waiting for the subway isn’t fun, the NYC wind ripping through your chest while just trying to get to work or school is arguably worse.
Visit the TBD New York Cares fundraising page.
Call to action
New York Cares has been around since 1987 and runs an annual coat drive to keep New Yorkers, especially kids, warm all winter. You can help in two ways:
A $25 donation not only supplies a New Yorker with a coat, but 10 meals. This year, TBD has created a fundraising page to use our platform to help New York Cares meet their fundraising goal of $600,000.
Donate a gently used coat! First, dry clean your coat and leave it in the plastic. Next, visit the NY Cares drop-off map to find a collection site near you.
The bike community is an amazing group of people and we love the endless banter about kit choices to stay warm. Let’s share some of that warmth with our neighbors.
Espresso addict, soigneur, endurance enthusiast. Racing bikes for TBD and wrenching/fits at ACME Bicycles.
